Women's Rights & Gender Justice

Gender inequality makes women in most societies poorer.

Women face more obstacles than men in labour markets, receive lower wages for the same work, dominate in the informal economy and have less access to credit, land, time, education, and other productive resources. In most parts of the world poor women do the caring, feeding and cleaning for the family, treating for the sick and dying – particularly in this era of HIV & AIDS, as well as earning small amounts of cash through labour-intensive activities. As farmers, workers, heads of households and community leaders they make productive and essential contributions to their community and country. As such, poverty eradication strategies must see women as active agents and not intrinsically vulnerable. For if women are vulnerable it is only because they have been made vulnerable – legally, economically, culturally, sexually, structurally – for centuries.

The fight against poverty therefore requires equality and justice for women.

Sufficient income is necessary to lowering poverty, but getting communities out of poverty will depend on women’s leadership, access to education, time, land, healthcare and credit, as well as women enjoying their reproductive and sexual rights, freedom from violence, and equal rights in the family and in society.

Feminist Task Force

The Feminist Task Force (FTF) was launched in March 2005 when leaders of international women’s rights groups gathered in New York City for the annual meetings of the UN Commission on the Status of Women. The global launch marked the start of a new alliance aimed at ending poverty among women and putting gender equality at the core of poverty eradication. Established under the umbrella of the Global Call to Action against Poverty (GCAP), the Feminist Task Force calls for “Gender Equality to End Poverty.

"As long as poverty, injustice and gross inequality persist in our world, none of us can truly rest." ~ Nelson Mandela. GCAP honours Mandela's words as we fight for justice and commemorate Int'l Rural Women's Day, World Food Day and Int'l Day for the Eradication of Poverty. Watch Mandiba's famous Make Poverty History speech.

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